Author: Charles

photographer Masayuki Kato        The Pearl, Queen of Gems! What a story surrounds the pearl! Divers, risking life in the shark-infested waters of the South Seas or the Persian Gulf, for these precious gems. Ships, storm-ridden and helpless, foundering on hidden coral reef. Intrigue and tribal wars. Piracy and smuggling. . . . What red-blooded romance is involved in procuring this beautiful, essentially feminine gem!        A grain of sand or perhaps a minute parasitic animal is washed into the open shell of a mollusk anchored to the floor of that mysterious other world which lies beneath the […]

A cuddly, purple polka-dot Teddy bear is just the right size for our 18″ dolls toplay with.         Our collection of 18″ doll sized toys on this post have been purchased from Dollar General stores, Party City, craft shops and sometimes at Saturday morning garage sales in and about my neighborhood. Although most of our doll’s toys are handmade, I still do find these little minis tempting to collect from time to time. I’ll post them as I find them here in the future. See More Examples of Toys for 18″ Dolls: This little game reminds me of “Hungry […]

Lapis Lazuli uncut        Lapis Lazuli is a rich blue stone which sometimes shows sparkling, golden flecks of iron pyrites. It is opaque and in composition and structure is very similar to the turquoise. Like the turquoise it is one of the most ancient gems, references to it dating back prior to 4500 B. C.        As lapis lazuli is comparatively soft it was easily worked into many forms by the ancients. For this reason it held the highest place in their estimation, being considered a gem of greatest value by the Babylonians and the Egyptians. […]

       Christening gowns and undergarments for paper doll crafts. These would white or ivory in real life, but you may color them if you wish… Scrap for student or personal crafts

        The playing card designs below in black and white are from both the 15th and 16th centuries. Students may integrate them into their paper doll crafts, journals and other art projects. Playing cards: spades, hearts and diamonds…

       Vintage wigs/hair styles from the 1960s for your paper doll creations. Make those gals groovy! These wigs are hip and come in multiple colors: blond, brown, black and red…

A giant sapphire, teardrop shape.         It seems incongruous that corundum, the material composing the polishing-wheel found in our machine-shops, should be basically identical with the beautiful sapphire. They are, nevertheless, one and the same, save for the crystallization of the gem.        ”Sapphire” is the name that is generally applied to any gem corundum excepting the red variety (ruby). More specifically, it is the name that is applied to the blue stone which is the most highly prized, the desired tints being royal blue and cornflower or cobalt blue.        Ranking next […]

        Print, color and cut-out butterfly costumes for Katy Keene. She may wear these creations to the Mardi Gras ball or perhaps dress up for a Halloween party or two… Both costumes also come with butterfly wings!

The Flower-Fed Buffaloesby Vachel Lindsay The flower-fed buffaloes of the springIn days of long ago,Ranged where the locomotives singAnd the prairie flowers lie low;The tossing, blooming, perfumed grassIs swept away by the wheat,Wheels and wheels and wheels spin byIn the spring that still is sweet.But the flower-fed buffaloes of the springLeft us long ago.They gore no more, they bellow no more,They trundle around the hills now more:-With the Blackfeet lying low,With the Pawnees lying low.